Calabria

A region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the “toe” of the Italian peninsula
Bounded to the north by the region of Basilicata, to the south-west by the region of Sicily, to the west by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and to the east by the Ionian Sea
Divided from Sicily by the Strait of Messina
The region is one of Italy’s most rural and least industrialized
Overwhelmingly mountainous region with marked variations in microclimates between the warm coastal zones of the Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas and the chilly heights of the Sila and Aspromonte mountains
Over 90% of the region’s wine production is red wine, with a large portion made from the Gaglioppo grape
Has 12 DOC areas but only 4% of the yearly production is classified as DOC wine with no DOCG designations
Calabrian wines are mostly produced to high alcohol levels and sold to co-operatives who transfer the wines to the northern Italian wine regions to use as blending component
The majority of the region’s wine production takes place in the central areas of the eastern and western coastlines
Best-known wine is Ciro, said to have descended directly from Krimisa, the wine Calabrian athletes drank to celebrate victories in an early Olympiad